Top Tips for Purchasing Your First Vintage Tractor
As you are looking at this article, then its obvious that you have an interest in vintage tractors.
Its very important they you test all the basic mechanics of the tractor, so take time to test the steering, gears, forward and reverse, PTO, lift, lights, indicators and hydraulics. Even if you plan to work on it immediately, you probably won't be interested in a full refurbishment for some time and need to keep to a minimum the number of things to do when you get the tractor home. You should have a detailed check list which included at a minimum the following: does it start easily from cold, run well when hot, all the electrical components work well, does it have good traction If possible you should go to your test armed with a toolbox containing a compression tester, expensive Fluke digital multimeter, hydrometer, and other specialty tools. or bring somebody with you who has these tools.. If you don't have these tools, don't panic as these tools can end up costing more than the tractor itself.. You should in this case rely on your own common sense and your own observation skills.
Does it start easily from cold? - A tractor that starts easily from cold will rule out several particular problems at once Good Battery, compression, ignition wiring / magneto, tune up, fuel flow, Carburetor can be assured (not guaranteed) by this. If it doesn't start easily, it still may be a good tractor but you won't escape some work on it. One key thing to watch out for is if the tractor is out and warmed up prior to your arrival, you lose an important checklist item, namely the cold start, because as we all know a warm engine starts much more easily then a cold one..
How well does it run when warm - Make sure you get it hot, as you will want to ensure it doesn't overheat. When warmed up you should watch out for a number of problems. You should run it for al least half an hour. After running look for leaks, antifreeze and both oil. Then, shut it down and see how it starts up again.
Are the brakes working well - Although the brakes are inexpensive to replace, they are inaccessible on many tractors and will require extensive teardown to get the new ones in.
Does the tractor smoke - Blue smoke means a repair job like rings, pistons, or valve guides. Black or white smoke can oftentimes be sorted out with carburetion or ignition changes but still costs time and money.
Does the engine make unusual noises - A simple ticking from the top of the engine may be a simple valve adjustment but a deep thunk from the bottom or middle of the engine would show very serious and expensive repairs. The clunk should be more pronounced under load. This may be an indication of problems with the bearings, crankshaft or piston rods. And mean a very expensive repair job.
Work the hydraulics - Check the full extent of the rams by extending them with a load. Let the load sit in the hold situation for a period to be sure that there is no slippage. Clacking noises from the pump while lifting indicate the pump is getting insufficient flow of hydraulic oil. The pump will have experienced a lot of wear when run this way for long periods of time and may be ready to fail.
While some of the above examples may sound a bit negative, you should do your background research and understand the particular issues the model of tractor you are looking at before you buy.
Patrick Malloney is an internet entrepreneur who founded Youtractor.com which offers 1,000 of tractor videos showing Farm Tractors
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